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When you think about improving your visibility on Google, search engine optimisation (SEO) is probably one of the first things that comes to mind. But your website is no longer the only part of your business that people can discover through search.
Your presence across social media platforms is becoming an increasingly important part of how your business appears online.
Google recently introduced Platform Properties in Google Search Console, allowing businesses and creators to track the performance of posts from Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube across Google Search, Discover and Google News.
It is another indication of how closely connected social media and SEO have become.
So, what does this mean for businesses, and should social media now form part of your SEO strategy?
Social Media Content Can Appear in Google Search
Google does not only display traditional web pages.
Depending on what someone searches for, they may see social media profiles, individual posts, videos and other types of content alongside standard organic search results.
This means customers searching for your business, product or service, or topics related to your industry may discover your social content before they visit your website.
For businesses, particularly small businesses competing for visibility, this creates another opportunity to occupy valuable space within search engine results pages (SERPs).
Imagine someone searches for your company. Instead of finding only your website, they may also see your social media profiles, videos and other relevant content within the search results.
A strong digital presence is therefore about more than getting one website result onto page one. It is about making your business visible across as many relevant touchpoints as possible.
Google Search Console Can Now Track Social Media Performance
One of the biggest recent developments is Google’s introduction of Platform Properties within Search Console.
Businesses and creators can connect supported social and video platforms to gain greater insight into how their content is being discovered through Google.
This includes information such as:
- Google Search clicks and impressions
- Individual social posts generating visibility
- Search queries leading users to your content
- Recent traffic trends
- Top-performing content
- Growing and declining search queries
Previously, Google Search Console was primarily associated with monitoring website performance. Being able to analyse supported social platforms provides a much clearer view of how your wider content performs in search.
It can also provide useful insights into the search terms people are using to discover your content.
For marketers, this creates an opportunity to make more informed decisions about future content.
If a particular topic is generating impressions through a social media post, could you create a comprehensive website page or blog about it?
Likewise, could relevant social content support an important service page, blog or landing page on your website? If that page targets a competitive search term, creating supporting content across your social channels could give potential customers more opportunities to discover your business.
SEO insights can inform social media, and social media insights can inform SEO.
Your Social Media Profiles Need to Be Optimised Too
Businesses often spend considerable time optimising their websites but treat their social media profiles as an afterthought.
That approach can mean missing valuable opportunities to improve online visibility.
Your profiles should clearly communicate who you are, what you do and where customers can find more information.
Keep business names, descriptions and branding consistent wherever possible. Use relevant language naturally within your profiles and posts, and make it easy for users to move from your social media channels to relevant pages on your website.
It is also important to consider how your profiles and content appear on mobile devices, where many customers will first encounter your business.
Most importantly, create content around subjects that are genuinely relevant to your business and its customers.
If you are a web development company, for example, you might publish content about web development, UX, SEO, digital marketing and website performance. You could also share case studies demonstrating the results you have achieved for clients.
The right type of content will depend on your business, audience and objectives.
The objective is not to cram keywords into every caption. Instead, you should create a consistent and useful digital presence around the topics for which you want your business to be known.
Connect Social Media With Your Website
Social media should not exist in isolation.
Where appropriate, posts should lead users towards useful and relevant pages on your website.
That might include:
- A social media post about a service linking to the relevant service page
- A post summarising a new article and directing users to the full blog
- A case study post leading users to the complete project
- A promotional campaign linking directly to a relevant landing page
This creates a more connected customer journey and gives each marketing effort a clearer purpose.
Someone may discover your business through Google and see one of your social posts. They may then visit your profile, continue to your website and eventually make an enquiry.
Another person may discover your blog through organic search, visit your social channels and follow your business before converting several weeks later.
Your social media activity may also work alongside other channels, such as email marketing or paid advertising, as part of a wider digital marketing strategy.
Digital marketing rarely operates through one isolated interaction.
Does Social Media Help SEO?
Simply getting more likes or posting every day does not mean Google will automatically move your website higher in the organic rankings.
Search engine optimisation (SEO) still depends on many factors, including content quality and relevance, technical performance, authority and user experience. Your web pages also need to satisfy the search intent behind the queries you are targeting.
However, social media can support your wider SEO and digital marketing strategy.
Your social content can create more opportunities for people to discover your brand, distribute website content and generate referral traffic. It can also strengthen your wider brand presence and provide additional searchable content.
Rather than thinking:
“Will posting on Instagram make my website rank higher?”
A better question is:
“How can SEO, our website and social media work together to increase our overall online visibility?”
This is where an integrated digital marketing strategy becomes considerably more powerful.
Turn One Idea Into Multiple Search Opportunities
One of the biggest benefits of combining SEO and social media is getting more value from the content you already create.
Suppose keyword research identifies a question that your potential customers frequently search for. You can then consider the search intent behind that query and create content that answers it.
That insight could become:
SEO:
A detailed, optimised blog answering the question.
Instagram and Facebook:
A graphic highlighting the most important takeaway.
LinkedIn:
A professional post discussing the topic in more depth.
TikTok or Reels:
A short video answering the question.
YouTube:
A longer explanation or tutorial.
Instead of creating five unrelated pieces of content, you are building a coordinated content strategy around something you already know your target market is interested in.
Each social media platform plays a different role, while the messaging stays connected.
It also gives you more opportunities to direct potential customers towards relevant web pages, encourage enquiries and ultimately generate leads.
SEO Is Not Just About Your Website Anymore
Search behaviour is changing.
People discover businesses through traditional Google results, Google Maps, social platforms, videos and a growing number of digital touchpoints.
Your potential customers may encounter your business several times across different search engine results pages (SERPs) and social platforms before they decide to visit your website.
That means businesses need to think beyond optimising individual website pages and start considering their overall online search presence.
Your website remains the foundation. It is the digital asset you own and the place where you have the greatest control over the customer journey.
Your website also gives you the opportunity to create dedicated landing pages for different services, products and campaigns, helping visitors find the information most relevant to them.
However, SEO, content and social media can work together to make your website and wider business considerably easier to find.
A connected strategy can also help you understand which channels, campaigns and content contribute to enquiries and conversion rates, allowing you to make better decisions about where to focus your marketing.
Build a Connected Digital Strategy With Madison
At Madison, we believe your website, SEO and social media should work together as part of one connected digital strategy.
As a web development and digital marketing agency, we can bring everything together under one roof.
From designing and developing a website around your business to improving organic search visibility, we can help build a stronger online presence. We can also manage your social media channels, creating relevant content that supports your wider marketing objectives.
Our team can create a coordinated strategy designed to help the right people find your business.
Already have a website but are not getting enough from it?
Our SEO packages can help identify the searches that matter to your business, improve existing web pages, create relevant content and monitor organic performance.
Struggling to keep your social media channels active and relevant?
Our social media marketing packages can provide consistent, engaging content designed around your brand, products or services, audience and wider marketing objectives.
By looking at SEO and social media together, we can identify opportunities across different channels and create content with a clear purpose. Whether the objective is to increase visibility, drive website traffic, improve conversion rates or generate leads, your digital marketing should be working towards the same goals.
When SEO and social media work together, each channel can support the other and contribute to a stronger online presence.
One website. One marketing strategy. One team looking after your digital presence.
Speak to Madison to discover how our SEO and social media marketing services can improve your online visibility and help more potential customers find your business.